Chapter 4.7: Dear Diary, the Accident

Dear Diary, Egypt is glorious! In fact, there are moments I feel as if I never want to leave.

A few months ago, the team discovered more ancient ruins. While they scurried about to uncover the perimeter, I mainly stayed in the proximity of the huge columns. There was plenty to decipher here, so I spent days on end going over every inch of each one.

It was a lonely job as I rarely saw anyone else. It wouldn’t be until later that I would be needed at the main dig site.

One evening, my eye caught hold of the nearby Temple of Besi. It had been discovered at least a century ago but it was one of those places I’d meant to take a closer look at yet hadn’t. I figured this was as good a time as any.

The polished statues were smooth and cool to the touch, the flames they were holding danced in the sunset.

If I turned completely around, I could gaze at the giant obelisks that framed the temple’s entrance. It was a beautiful sight and I considered myself extremely lucky to be here at this moment.

“Dr. Larochette.”

Hearing Beckett’s voice, I turned to face him. When we first met, I was less than kind but I’d had plenty of time to think about why I’d acted so terribly…

… That night, I hadn’t slept at all, tossing and turning until my sheets were hopelessly tangled around my legs. Finally, giving in and sitting up, the moon was just bright enough that I could make out the sleeping forms around me.

Dr. Tammam was furthest from me, lying on his back and snoring like crazy. I’d gotten used to the noise, so now, unless I concentrated on it, I scarcely heard it.

Some feet from him, Nadia was sound asleep on her cot, snuggled down and silent in her blankets.

There were other cots and other teammates sleeping pretty soundly. It seemed I was the only one awake. As my eyes became more accustomed to the dark, they rested on the sprawled figure of Beckett. He was lying on his back, arms flung out, one leg outside the blankets. For someone who had been so thoroughly roasted by me as soon as he’d set foot on our campsite, he sure was sleeping fine.

Hugging my knees to my chest, I continued to stare at him. It’s not like he knew I was gawking. His profile was so darn perfect. It was a crime that any one guy should look so good. I sat rigidly still as he took a deep breath and turned over, away from me which brought me back to reality and sent me snuggling back into my own blankets, my back to him.

Yes, I’d had lots of time to think about this guy and why I’d been so incredibly rude. The fact was, I couldn’t sleep because of my own behavior. When I first met him, I was struck by how handsome he was. Mr. Babyface was the perfect specimen of man. And weren’t all guys like that completely aware of their amazing looks? Weren’t they all arrogant and full of themselves?

I know, I know, that wasn’t fair to him at all. He hadn’t gotten a word in edgewise, thanks to yours truly, so I could hardly pin all of that on him. It went deeper and I became glaringly aware of my own shortcomings.

Did I dislike him immediately because of the supposed nepotism? Yes, that was a definite factor in my reaction. Did he deserve what I dished out? Hardly.

Pulling my blanket over my head, my eyes burned as I thought of Theo and how much I’d wanted him to notice plain ol’ Marty… and how he never had.

I’d treated Beckett, a man I didn’t even know, the way I had wanted to treat Theo all those years ago after he broke my heart.

Don’t get me wrong. I hadn’t spent the past several years pining over Theo. I suppose seeing Beckett and how handsome he was triggered something really ugly I’d buried. And it was no excuse…….

…. Since then, I’d had plenty of opportunities to apologize to Beckett, yet I hadn’t. It wasn’t that I was afraid to admit I was wrong. It was that when I was in his presence, my emotions were so overpowering, I thought I’d make a fool of myself.

“Hi, Beckett,” I finally said.

“This place is great, isn’t it? I like to come here to think.”

“It is,” I admitted. “This is my first time here.”

Surprise flashed in his beautiful eyes and a smile curled the corners of his mouth very slightly. “Let me show you around then!”

“All right.”

As we walked, he pointed out things of interest and I found myself fascinated as I became more comfortable in his presence.

“That’s lovely,” I said as he pointed to a drawing on the wall.

“Dr. Larochette, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

Uh oh. My stomach immediately began to flip-flop and my pulse quickened as I expected the worst. I knew I deserved it at least.

“I feel we got off on the wrong foot and I hoped we could clear some things up.”

I wondered if he could see the discomfort on my face as he spoke. My throat felt constricted, but I managed to squeak out, “Listen, I owe you – ”

Putting his hand up like a stop sign, he said, ” – No one owes anyone anything. Let me finish. When Nadia introduced us, I know what it looked like. And you were right. I would never be in this position if not for my father. And, honestly, I’ve gotten the same reaction before in similar situations. The truth is, my father is very overbearing – a bully really, and I’ve never been able to tell him no to anything. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to care if he’s throwing me into less than savory circumstances and I’m rather a disappointment to him for not living up to his expectations.”

I was stunned. Not just because what he told me rang completely true, but because I barely knew him and he’d told me so much.

“Look, I’m not trying to garner sympathy or anything. I’m sure you have your own problems. I just wanted you to understand so we could work together honestly, without preconceived ideas.”

“That’s very good of you,” I said.

“So we can start over?” After I nodded, he held out his hand for me to shake. “Hi, I’m Beckett Quinn.”

Finally able to hold a genuine smile, I placed my hand in his. “I’m Dr. Larochette, but you can call me Marty.”

Relief flooded his face as his large hand lingered on mine for a moment. I could feel the rough callouses brush against my fingertips and I knew this was a hard-working guy.

“Friends?”

“Absolutely.” It occurred to me that I’d been let off pretty easily so I would try to make an extra effort to be kind to him.

Just then, Dr. Tammam’s voice crackled across the two-way radio Beckett was carrying to tell him Nadia had made a wondrous discovery. Without delay, we rushed to the digsite, side by side.

Having never gotten a close look at the ruins, I now realized why my comrades were so excited. These ruins almost seemed out of place where they were found. The windows, the carvings on the walls seemed more medieval than they did Egyptian.

“I’m so glad you are here!” Dr. Tammam exclaimed as we approached. “You will have to see this!”

As Beckett and I followed Dr. Tammam through the rooms to where Nadia was working, I had a better chance to look around. Crates had already arrived and were being filled with cataloged items. A team was setting up some lights, getting them ready before the sun went down completely.

My eye was drawn to a ruined staircase and I wondered where it once went and who had used it?

Catching a glance of Nadia, I quickened my step to get to her.

“There’s no sarcophagus!” she exclaimed as we joined her. She had a toothbrush in her hand and I knew she’d been carefully brushing the sand away so as not to disturb anything.

I looked down as I came closer. Sure enough, there was a skeleton without a sarcophagus. “Perhaps he or she was a servant,” I suggested.

“That would be a logical assumption,” she agreed.

“But it is found within the walls,” Dr. Tammam said. “This is very strange.”

As the two doctors chatted about the best way to proceed, I turned back to Beckett.

“Exciting, isn’t it?”

Before he could respond, his face drained of all color and he stumbled a step forward.

“Are you all right?” I asked, reaching out an arm in case he needed to lean on someone.

He brushed my arm away and tried to make light of the episode. “Yeah, it was just strange, but I’m fine.”

He still looked very pale and I wondered if he would pass out. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

I took his arm and he let me steer him toward the way we’d come in when suddenly, a loud noise struck and rocks began to fall from the wall above. Shoving me out of the way, they hit him.

Quickly getting to my feet, I screamed his name, but he didn’t answer. Dr. Tammam and Nadia ran to me from the other room.

“Marty! Are you all right?” Nadia yelled, her eyes full of fright.

“Yes! It’s Beckett! The rocks fell on him!”

Nadia ran for the crate that held our first aid supplies and I heard her yelling at someone to get the medics.

As fast as I could manage, I knelt next to Beckett, who was buried, and I prayed he was still alive. Brushing sand away from his nose and mouth, I carefully touched his neck where his carotid artery was.

“He’s alive!” I yelled, scooping more sand away from his face. I could see blood coming from his mouth and head but it was difficult to reach him.

Dr. Tammam returned with men who began to lift the rocks and debris away and Nadia instructed some other people to carefully examine the wall in case more should fall.

“Beckett, can you hear me?” I yelled desperately. He did not stir in any way.

Beckett was airlifted to the hospital in Cairo but it wasn’t until hours later, I was finally able to see him in the Emergency Department. Some of his coloring had come back but his eyes were closed.

The doctor had spoken to me for a few brief moments yet I hadn’t really grasped everything he’d said. I knew Beckett had a concussion and some broken ribs and that he’d been very lucky.

Awkwardly, I sat in the chair near him. “Beckett?” I said, but he didn’t respond.

Brushing tears from my cheeks, I suddenly began to wish I’d treated him better. If he hadn’t shoved me out of the way, it would be me lying there or dead. He’d saved my life.

I don’t know how long I sat there, waiting. Nurses came in and out to check his vitals, hang new bags on the IV stand and one of them told me they were waiting for a room to open up so they could admit him. Thankfully, they didn’t ask me too many questions about him, because I didnt know the answers. The only name I could provide was his father’s.

After what seemed ages, his eyelids fluttered then opened. At first, he squinted against the bright lights, then he blinked again and was focusing on me.

“Beckett? Thank heavens you’re awake!”

He tried to move as if to get up but grimaced in pain. “What the hell – ”

“Do you remember the accident at the dig site? You shoved me out of the way and one of the walls collapsed on you.”

“Are you okay?”

How he could think of me at a time like this, I didn’t know. “I’m fine, thanks to you. You saved my life.”

“Good.” He coughed, moaning in pain. “I – I need some water.”

“I’m sorry, the nurse told me you can’t have anything by mouth right now. You still might need surgery. Are you in pain? I can ask them to give you something.”

He shook his head slightly as his eyes closed again.

I sat with him from then on, even after they moved him to his room. There was no way I’d leave his side after all he’d done for me.

All I could do was try to make him comfortable and thank my lucky stars he’d been there and had the wherewithal to push me out of the way.

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69 thoughts on “Chapter 4.7: Dear Diary, the Accident”

Oh my. As soon as I saw the title and then Beckett’s face as a featured image, I was there frantically thinking: “Leo looked similar after the accident! What accident? What happened?!” And then that.
I have to say I was a bit surprised when Beckett immediately opened up to Marty. A bit unexpected, may I say. But I’m glad they made amends. Seems that Marty could be feeling guilty after all this happened and that she was mean to him at first! I hope Beckett will be okay in the end.

Pics are absolutely gorgeous!
I knew Marty would make amends for her first impression reaction, even though deep down her basic thoughts were correct.
When I saw the skeleton my first thought was…… did the son kill the father to get the gig?
Nothing like saving a gal’s life to make her feel indebted to him. Nurse Nightingale also ring a bell, except I think this will be both ways. He already got her sympathy with his sad story about how his father treats him. Don’t gals just love to “make things right for their men?”
He sure is dang cute.

Weeeeeee! My first chapter as a real reader and not the last person to comment 18 years later! LOL Now that I’m not binging and scrambling for the next chapter button, methinks it’s time for you to enjoy the famous Jes2G-style play-by-play! (you should be excited LOL) Here we go!

– First of all, I just want to say how I excited I am to see Al Simhara again!! That was my favorite adventure world. I still make references to it in my current stories as much as possible lol.
– Beckett IS quite handsome! It makes me laugh that he’s wearing his street clothes in the ruins lol. If I was Marty, that would make me even more mad. 😀 I’m glad they talked though and started over.
– Ha! I never noticed until you pointed it out how the Ancient Ruins don’t look Egyptian lol. Good eye!
– Beckett is a hero! Uh oh…his status just skyrocketed 200 points in her book lol. Hope the good professor back home isn’t waiting for her LOL.

YAY to being caught up and not having to comment 18 years later! LOLOLOL And I must say, I love your play by play! So awesome!

Beckett is just too cool to wear anything other than that even in the middle of the desert! hahaha 😛 And Ooooooooh, the professor! This is all just heating up, let me tell you! 😀 I can’t wait for the story to unfold! 😀

🤔 I have a sinking suspicion these interests are related… maybe not father-son, but also maybe. It would appear Becks knows something about that skeleton… and I’ve been paying close attention, so I’m calling it now: “complicated” prof is his father, and that skeleton’s got something to do with the professor’s past… Becks must be involved somehow…

Marjorie F Watts

Well well well, how does the world turn!! I am glad they made up and are friends, but I do hope that Marty doesn’t mistake gratitude for something else! I am waiting for the professor, whether she is or not! lol It will definitely be an interesting story coming up, and I only have one other observation…why did he get light-headed and almost faint?? Is there something physically wrong with him, or was it a reaction to something still lingering in the air of the tomb? Hmmmm….

Thank you, Marj! 🙂 Oh wouldn’t Marty just be the type to mix up gratitude and love? We shall see on that one. Xalen hasn’t been written off yet, don’t worry. That’s a great question about Beckett! More on that to come!

Three cheers for Beckett! It was so good of him to push Marty out of the way. I really like how sweet and down-to-earth he seems to be. I do understand why Marty reacted the way she did to him. I’m glad Beckett forgave her and they can be friends now~
But… I am wondering what is up with his strange reaction. Does he have some illness or was that something to do with the skeleton? I do hope Beckett didn’t do anything bad in the past which relates to that. I am currently liking him more than Xalen, mostly because of the age gap!
Nice chapter 🙂

Okay. I have to agree with others. Does this young man recognize something about this skeleton causing him to get light headed? Is the skeleton a remnant of a recent excavation and not ancient? Does his experience working with his father give him inside information on other possibilities? He may have been sent by his father to look for a specific something in an unobtrusive way. Then there is a sci-fi possibility, perhaps associated with Mango?

Rosie

Oh my, this sure is getting exciting! Although, I’ve already picked who I want arty to be with. You can’t persuade me with your boyish good looks and heroic deeds! I will not sway from the loyal camp of Xalen!! XD

Very nice pictures from Al Simhara. Me too never noticed this kind of ruins so far.
I got hooked to Al Shibalba, a similar egyptian world made by my simsreality, because I wanted horses.
That was a great feeling, as it worked.
My thoughts: Umm.. Beckett. The young man got a pretty scare, that made him stumble. But I think, he immediatly draw some conclusions, how the sceleton might be got there. But the person is long dead, he seems to young to me, that he could have caused his/her death. 😉 And he didn’t let himself been buried under sand and rubble, just to get Marty’ sympathy. That would be too foolhardy in my opinion. And a romance ? Based on compassion and guilt ?
Maybe – but mostly it will not last.

Thank you so much! 🙂 Oh, you know what? This is Al Shibalba from My Sim Realty. I got mixed up in the previous comments mentioning Al Simhara. LOL It’s been one of those weeks. haha

I like your thoughts on Beckett and agree that it would be foolhardy of him to set all of that up just for Marty’s sympathy. You’re also right that if a relationship with Beckett begins for those reasons, it is doomed.

Oh cool. I had a such a weird feeling after hitting the publish button, because I thought, I had blabbered about this before, but I like it so much. And just like you, I buried someone under tons of rocks too.

I read how you did it. A great idea. Even more dramatic with the face in the sand.
I published my first stories on Google since 2015.
Then google messed it all up with a new procedure uploading pictures.
Even worse – a lot of my pictures just dissappeared out of my albums. Dang!
I still have them in my archive, but what an effort would that be, to upload all again.
I can’t get used to wordpress yet, but I try.
That’s why I publish in my blog on the sims-site ,what I do today.
Anyway, if you would like to see it, I set a link to my google-album about Egypt.
It’s a mystic story, starring Yuri Ivanov. I put him into a pose, right after he was hit by an explosion.
I covered his face with “blood”, by altering the “marmalade” face from costume-makeup and was very
satisfied with that.

Aawww Beckett, our hero!! ❤
He's such a nice guy (incredibly good-looking too)! I freaked when I saw him under those rocks! 😥 Fortunately he's alive and well, plus Marty and him seem to have made amends 🙂
I still want to see doctor Xalen, but I'm ready to jump ship, hehe. I mean, what's better than a man who's willing to give his life for his girl? ❤

Thank you so much! 🙂 Beckett does seem like a nice guy, I’ll admit. 😀 I had so much fun burying him under the rocks, though. And there are probably easier ways to set that up then what I did. haha I had him relax there in the sand on a towel like he was sunbathing, paused the game, then buried him under a bunch of stuff. hahaha 😛

You’re ready to jump ship, eh? I will say Xalen is not out yet. hahaha 😀

lilsapphire

In Beckett’s line of work I am sure he has seen skeletons before so why did he freak out at seeing this one? Did he have something to do with it being there? He has been to Egypt before, and my instincts tell me Beckett is not so innocent or sweet.
So glad Marty did not get hurt, but I do hope that her Nightingale crush on Beckett doesn’t lead to trouble. You know what they say. Office workers make bad lovers, but right now there is no keeping her away from him.

I’m glad that Marty was able to make amnends with Becket before the accident. I had a feeling she was projecting her mixed up feelings for Theo.
Speaking of which, I hope she is able to sort that all out soon. She needs to be 100% over him before she can move on.

I suspect his father has somthing to do with the skelett, veeeery interesting i that Marty is soo attracted to Becket! What about her endless love for the goood professor! Otherway, Becket is maybe too good to be true! Who knows how he reacted so strange as they discover the skelett or maybe therer memories from when he was a kid! Anyway, this was a super twist and I’m loving it a lot. Also the pics were wonderful… I remember WA so happyly… I loved it and wished there were more worlds like that! 🙂 ♥♥♥

I still think she have apologized. It was nice that Beckett took it upon himself to make amends but she was still in the wrong. Seems to be part of her character to overreact to things then feel bad later but do little to change. I’m glad she’s ok and that Beckett was there to save her.

Okay, new theory! Beckett has these visions where he can see into the past but it’s not just any past it’s one of his past lives and he knew Marty in a past life. I don’t know where I’m gonna go with this but it’s gonna go somewhere.